I was working on a project in my office this morning and, as I glanced over at my computer screen, I was amused at how many windows I had open.

It got me thinking about all the times a member of our IT team came to fix an issue and one by one minimized each window to try and find the source of the issue. This meticulous action made me keenly aware of my frequent lack of staying focused on one task at a time, and how busy my mind is.

Once web browsers opened the world to the ability to open multiple websites in one window, I was a goner!

TABS! So many tabs!

If I had to create a visual of my mind, it would be this multi-tabbed browser window on top of other windows of documents and jpegs and videos.

How many tabs do you have open right now? Take a moment to acknowledge some of the things running through your mind as you read this blog.

I woke up this morning, preparing to start my morning routine. I paused and realized I had already opened a multitude of “tabs”…

• I went back to my concerns from the night before,
• added an errand to my list for the day,
• remembered I needed to pray for two friends with important opportunities today,
• got frustrated with myself for not already picking out what clothes I was going to wear,
• acknowledged I needed coffee the moment I got out of the shower…

No wonder we are so exhausted! It is astounding how active and constant our minds are, scrolling through thought after task after memory after reaction.

“Peace, be still.”

– Mark 4:39 ESV

Just as Jesus called out to the storm, “Peace, be still,” we must do that to our minds sometimes.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

– Philippians 4:6-7 ESV

How many tabs could you close right now… the tab of worry over your work project, the tab of frustration over what he said last night, the tab of planning for the amount of laundry you have when you get home, the tab of concern for a friend who is having a rough go of it…

Which tabs can you pray for God to take and release from your mind?

It can be very difficult, but the freedom from these worries and running thoughts will far outweigh the constant stream of busyness in your mind.

Be still – Close the tab.